The present invention relates to a juvenile transportation system, and particularly, to a juvenile transportation system including a seat shell, a small seat base adapted to be mounted in a vehicle, and a large seat base adapted to be mounted in a vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a juvenile transportation system wherein the seat shell is adapted to be coupled to any one of the small base, the large base, or a stroller.
Juvenile transportation systems and juvenile vehicle seat systems are used to transport young children and to secure young children safely within a vehicle. Often, juvenile vehicle seat systems include a base that rests in a vehicle seat and a seat shell adapted to be decoupled from the base and used as a juvenile carrier. The base is adapted to receive a lap belt, and the seat shell couples to and decouples from the base without necessitating the removal of the lap belt. In some embodiments, the juvenile transportation system can comprise a seat shell adapted to be coupled to a stroller as a further transportation option.
In this description and in the claims, the terms such as xe2x80x9cforward portionxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9crearward portionxe2x80x9d, and xe2x80x9crear portionxe2x80x9d are used with reference to the xe2x80x9cfrontxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9crearxe2x80x9d of the vehicle. For example, in a vehicle with a rear or back seat, the position of the seat adjacent the back of the seat is the xe2x80x9crear portionxe2x80x9d and the portion of the seat facing the front of the vehicle is the xe2x80x9cfront portionxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cforward portionxe2x80x9d. Thus, the juvenile seat shell placed on the vehicle rear seat faces xe2x80x9crearwardlyxe2x80x9d and has a xe2x80x9crear portionxe2x80x9d adjacent the back of the seat and a xe2x80x9cfront portionxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cforward portionxe2x80x9d disposed toward the front of the vehicle.
According to the present invention, a juvenile vehicle seat system comprises a seat base adapted to be mounted on the rear portion of a vehicle seat with a seat belt, and a seat shell having a bottom surface that includes a mounting portion or rearward portion and a non-mounting portion or forward portion. The seat base is configured such that the mounting portion of the seat shell detachably couples with the seat base while the non-mounting portion lies on the vehicle seat forward of the seat base.
In another embodiment, a juvenile transportation system is provided which comprises a seat shell in combination with a small base and a large base. The seat shell comprises a bottom having a mounting or rearward portion and a non-mounting forward portion, and the seat shell is adapted to be coupled to one of the small base or the large base. The large base is mountable on the vehicle seat and configured to couple to the mounting portion and support both the mounting portion and the non-mounting portion of the seat shell. The small base is mountable on the rearward portion of the vehicle seat and configured to couple to and support only the mounting portion or rearward portion of the seat shell.
In yet another embodiment, the juvenile transportation system further includes a stroller which is also configured to be coupled with the seat shell.
Additional features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.